In God’s Hands

By: Pastor Olu Brown

Published: June 02, 2010

A few weeks ago, I thought I was going to miss my flight to Chicago. I was in Washington D.C. speaking at a conference with very limited time to finish speaking, load up, race to the airport and catch my flight. I am sure you know what happened next. Of course, I ran into traffic. It was absolutely the worst traffic ever. Initially, I was optimistic, thinking the traffic would break and that I would make it in time. The longer I was in traffic the more I realized I would not make the flight. My friend who was driving the car did his best to encourage me but I knew I was going to miss this one.

I dialed the 800 number for the airline to request a flight change and was disappointed because as I was preparing to book a later flight and pay a flight change fee, suddenly my phone disconnected. Little did I know it was for the best. I decided to wait and change my flight plans once I arrived at the airport and pay the flight change fee on site. I arrived at the airport 30 minutes before my flight was scheduled to depart and I knew I was cooked. I walked up to the ticket counter and said to an agent, “I know I missed my flight and would like to be placed on the later flight to Chicago.”

In a moment, something happened that had never happened to me before. The wonderful agent asked for my driver’s license, keyed in my information and told me that I could make the flight. She hurried through her task and told me to follow her. Unbelievably, this wonderful ticket agent walked me to the security checkpoint and through the line of people waiting all the way to the security screening section.

I know this sounds crazy but she even went through the security screen with me. She was my angel in disguise. Because of her, I made the flight without a minute to spare and as I sat on the plane, I was grateful for the ticket agent because she went out of her way to make sure I made the flight.

Lately, I have been experiencing many moments like this when I am pressed for time or pressed to make a decision. These moments come no matter how much I prepare, wake up early or hope for the best. In these moments, I have a tendency to become afraid and set my mind towards failure or the worst possible outcome. The flight attendant gave me a good lesson on life that reminded me when I think it is over there is always hope.

God has a unique way of providing angels who step into our lives and help us navigate through the tough and uncertain times. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to trust God in spite of what we see, feel or think. God has a way of helping us navigate through life’s maze to achieve the ultimate God Goal. This is an amazing category of faith that I have not conquered. To be honest, there are times when I do not trust and I depend on my own understanding.

What impressed me the most about the ticket agent is that her badge gave her the power and authority to move me through places and situations that I could not maneuver on my own. When I think about her power and authority, I think about God’s power and authority to guide my life and my journey towards God’s preferred destination. It truly is in God’s hands.

Scripture Of The Day: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

The lead pastor of Impact Church, located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, Pastor Olu Brown has helped grow Impact into one of the fastest growing new church starts in America. For more information about Pastor Brown, log onto http://www.imp

Investing With Confidence

Image via Wikipedia

Lisa Crum

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. - 2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV

Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns. Don't hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing to others. This could be your last night. - Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 THE MESSAGE

Several years ago, shortly after my husband and I got married, we had the opportunity to have dinner with a friend who is a financial planner. Naturally, before the evening was out, we were asking him the type of questions any couple might who’s getting older and barreling toward retirement like a runaway train. Between dinner and dessert, our friend graciously explained to us the difference between investing in mutual funds and stock picking.

Later, when I went to work briefly at a financial advisory firm (as office help, not as an advisor, I might add…my disclaimer being to take this as an object lesson in Christian living and not financial advice!), I learned a little more about the subject…but it pretty much just boils down to this.

Passive investing in a mutual fund or an exchange traded fund is a hands-off approach, where you place money in an indexed pool of investments of a particular kind, managed by a fiduciary who is experienced in investing, and you let it ride over the long haul during good times and bad; the idea being that the good times do outweigh the bad and eventually you come out on top.

Active investing, also known as market timing or playing the stock market, might put you more in charge of calling the buy/sell shots, but often places you in a situation where you’re a day late, and then a dollar short. You see something doing well, you buy stock in it; but by that time, everyone else knows it’s doing well and therefore the value (and the price you’ll have to pay for it) goes up.

You find one of your investments doing poorly, you hurry up and try to sell the stock before it bottoms completely out, and then you wind up losing money because you often must sell it for less than you paid. There are endless reasons argued by pundits on both sides why one or the other is the better method, but like a cheesy slogan I’ve heard on TV about some unknown gadget, it sounded pretty good to me to just “set it and forget it.”

If you can forget it, that is…You know, kingdom work is a lot like financial investing, and there’s a lot to learn from examining the parallels. I don’t know about you, but one of the things which drives me regularly to the cross to ask for forgiveness is my tendency to try to play “stock market” with the love of God.

Jesus chose to invest in a very diverse group of people, and then let His decision rest in the Fiduciary’s hands. Some would serve Him forever, would spread His message into all the earth, and many would even die a martyr’s death in His name. Some, however, He knew might never straighten up and fly right, yet He loved them and was good to them anyway, giving them every opportunity to do right until the very end.

He included a Judas when He ordained the twelve. He healed all ten lepers, knowing only one would remember to come back and give thanks. What Jesus taught us through His example leaves us inexcusable for our finicky, selective doling out of the love of God to people in this mixed up, dying world. He’s telling us to love others as much as we love ourselves…and to love God even more than that (Matthew 22:37-40).

Since He did not give us any footnotes to clearly define which of our “neighbors” might fit that love-your-neighbor commandment, we must take it that He means to love them all! Yep, not just the trusted one next door who lends you his cordless drill when you forget to put yours on charge…but also the one who plays his music way too loud and lets his dog come over to “do its business” on your lawn!

The same goes with family, coworkers, and the like. We’re called to love not just the grandchildren whose voices on the other end of the phone send our heart soaring, but also the co-worker who would lie on us and make us look bad just to advance herself. The outcome may not always be what we wish, but people can’t help but be impacted by the love of God if you’ll dispense it and not sparingly.

Your grandchildren and your co-worker may remember that love for two entirely different reasons, but you can be certain that neither will be in vain, and neither will go unnoticed in heaven. It’s a hard discipline to learn, isn’t it? But it works consistently because Jesus modeled it with perfection.

After mingling with saints, sinners, temple-dwellers, and tax-collectors, He said to His Father regarding those with whom He’d been entrusted, “…not one of them got away, except for the rebel bent on destruction (the exception that proved the rule of Scripture).” John 17:12 THE MESSAGE

Know this: your love and prayers perpetuate beyond your earthly life, and the returns on your investment will not be fully realized until you meet some of your “shares” in eternity! Not one ounce of it is wasted, so you can’t afford to write off one single person on your prospectus.

There are always going to be some folk with whom you prefer to surround yourself (as do all of us), but never let it be said that you hoarded up the love of God to use on just those people you thought were most deserving or who are the most likely to become followers of Christ. You’re not the Fiduciary, so instead of analyzing who’s worth the trouble, who will or will not ever change, or who will be the most appreciative, just permit Him to use you as a conduit to make this priceless gift available, as Jesus did, to whosover will.

He’s well able to take care of the rest of the details. “…I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.” - 2 Tim 1:12 NLT

Invest liberally, and with confidence!

A Life Of Success

Aqualyn Toi Jones

If I had the desire (or the patience) to count the number of books on success, I’m sure the number would reach well into the thousands (and possibly hundreds of thousands). Everyone claims to know the way to success.

There’s probably a “Success for Dummies” book. Not to mention the countless number of “steps” to success. I don’t mean to negate the value or validity of such tools. I just want to bring a different question into view.

Instead of asking, “How can I become successful?” maybe we should ask ourselves, “What does it mean for me to live a life of success?” Although the two questions maybe sound similar, they are not.

You and I can be successful in a number of things: education, career, or business ventures. But a life of victory and triumph (pretty good synonyms for success) cannot be measured solely by our mental, physical, or tangible prosperity.

If we allow ourselves to be deceived, we’ll think that success is measure by material things. Becoming a homeowner, though notable, is not synonymous with success. Neither is buying a car, losing weight, purchasing a new wardrobe, or investing in the stock market. Those things are accomplishments and by-products of a successful soul.

Many people prosper financially. Many people prosper vocationally. Some are fortunate to prosper relationally. Yet, our souls are supposed to prosper as well (3 John 1:2). In this verse, John indicates that his prayer is for us to prosper in all things, just as our soul prospers. He believed that the prosperity of our souls is just as important as other things. And I believe that is the key ingredient to a life of success and not just moments of success.

It is also important for us to remember that failure is a part of the life of success. Times of weakness, pain, heartbreak, illness, and sin (yes, even sin) are all things we will experience along the way. But these should be regarded as defining moment and not defeating moments.

It’s quite simple for us to chare our own course and set goals for the next five, then, and fifteen years. With discipline we can succeed in anything we put our minds to. Let’s give an even greater amount of energy and determination to making sure our souls prosper.

As we become better individuals, better children, better spouses, better parents, and better leaders we will undoubtedly lead lives of success. It starts with the soul.

Is Your Gift Bigger Than You?

Image by sadelux via Flickr

Bishop Donald Hilliard

"O Lord, who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with Integrity." Psalm 15:1-2 NAS

You wouldn't give your 5-year-old a 12-gauge shotgun or a big Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Shotguns and motorcycles are great - but they're for adults. You need maturity to handle them. Giving such gifts to your child would endanger them, and everybody else around them. The gifts just don't fit the person.

Perhaps you're a talented individual. God's given you some large gifts like the ability to speak well, or organize things, or create and design. But we sabotage ourselves when our gift becomes bigger than we are. How does this happen? When we begin to lean on the talents God gave us and don't mature emotionally and spiritually - we ruin our chance to use those talents as God designed them. When our character doesn't keep up with our talent, we learn to "wing it" through life. We live on the surface but lack real strength underneath. And it shows up when the crisis hits, the storm comes, or we are under pressure. You can't "wing it" when it comes to character building.

The greater the size of your gifts, the more you must dedicate time to developing your character. Eugene Peterson paraphrases the Psalmist in The Message: "God, who gets invited to dinner at your place? How do we get on your guest list? Walk straight, act right, tell the truth. Don't hurt your friend, don't blame your neighbor; despise the despicable. Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living, never take a bribe. You'll never get blacklisted if you live like this" (Ps 15:1-5 TM).

So, do you live that way?

Fruits or Fruit

Tanya James


“But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” Galatians 5:22

For many years whenever I talked about this scripture, I would say the fruits (plural) of the spirit instead of the fruit of the spirit. I’m not sure if I just did not know what the correct words were or if I self consciously made it plural so that I could pick and choose which fruits to strive for.

I’m sure I’m not the only one that sometimes fails to be loving to EVERYONE I come in contact with … or what about that self control fruit … that one can be applied to so many areas of our lives. If I am really honest, I can clearly recall times when I have even made a statement similar to, “I may not have been faithful in completing my assignment but I was very kind.” Yes, I admit that I have been guilty of justifying my disobedience.

Guess what … I can try to justify it but it doesn’t really work that way … fruit being singular instead of plural is not a typo. What it tells me is that all nine of those things work together as one. We aren’t dealing with a smorgasbord. We don’t get to wake up each morning and pick one or two to walk in for that day. We must strive to apply all nine to our lives at all times.

I will be the first to admit that it is not always an easy task … for me, the fruit of the spirit have flown out the window in Atlanta traffic many of days … and let’s not mention when that boss in corporate America seems to know every button to push. Or what happens when that customer service representative just won’t listen and keeps cutting you off. However, just like every other mandate in the Word of God – it requires discipline and a daily (or hourly) dying to self.

Is walking in the spirit an easy task? Not always but it’s a mandatory one …

And if you have any questions about how you are doing in this area … back up in Galatians just a few scriptures and read about the works of the flesh, which are the complete opposite of the fruit of the spirit and let that be your checkpoint.

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornications, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5: 19-21

Is Your Fruit Organic?

Milan Ford


About three weeks ago, my wife and I (along with our three children) moved to the city of Sandy Springs, a northern metropolitan suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. As most families often do, we decided to take a quick drive through our new neighborhood, and discover where all of the key checkpoints (i.e., gas stations, playgrounds, Mexican restaurants, etc.) were located.

That’s right; no neighborhood is complete without a good Mexican restaurant!

After just a few minutes up the road, we made a huge discovery. One that quickly made my wife smile, but made me grip the steering wheel in worry. There it was, right in our backyard:

A Whole Foods Market.

For those of you reading this today that are not familiar with Whole Foods Market, it is currently the world’s leader in natural and organic foods, with more than 270 stores located in North America and the United Kingdom. For nearly 30 years, this retailer has served as a vital tool in aiding millions of people in maintaining their health and wellness through greater food safety and dietary options.

So why would this make me grip the steering wheel in worry, you ask?

Well, (if I can be totally honest with you)…
…I’ve always been slightly afraid of the word ORGANIC.

Although it has become the rave of so many of my friends and peers, I just knew that something with the word ORGANIC in front of it would be a one-way ticket to the restroom. (insert big laugh here)

Not that I have ever been against healthy eating, I just refused to become one of those health food junkies that spends an half hour reading the back of every product in the grocery aisle. Be honest; all of us have at least one friend that we sort of hate to invite over our house for dinner, simply because they insist on telling us why everything we made for them to eat, is now (all of a sudden) bad to their health.

So on yesterday, I mustered enough courage to visit the Whole Foods Market store near our house, and as soon as I walked in, I realized I had walked into a whole new world. I must have been wearing a “Hi, I’m New Here” look on my face, because shortly after I entered inside, a store employee approached me and asked whether I had been to the store before.

I told him that I was, and immediately, school was in session.

He took me over to the fruit section and began to tell me the importance of purchasing and eating ORGANICALLY grown fruit. As he pointed to the hundreds of apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries, and other fresh fruit they had to offer there, he discussed how none of their fruit had been subjected to the harmful PESTICIDES most fruit farmers use to prevent insects from ruining their crops.

I decided to play devil’s advocate with him, so I asked, “What’s so wrong with pesticides, if their primary purpose is to prevent fruit from being ruined?” I just knew that question would trip him up.

Well, it didn’t.

He answered and told me that while pesticides prevent insects from ruining crops, the chemicals used to create them are not only toxic and harmful to humans, they also serve as fruit growth regulators, which simply means they promote artificial growth within fruit, often denying it of the nutrients it could provide when grown naturally. Or as he so eloquently called it, ORGANICALLY.

I’m sure by now you must be wondering if this is a disguised plug for a grocery store, but I promise you, it is not. The purpose behind this devotional is so much more important.

In Galatians 5:22-23, these words are found: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

After my rather in-depth lesson at the grocery store, I began to wonder later that day if at times the fruit we bear as believers today is grown organically…or whether it is covered with pesticides?

Sunday after Sunday, millions of believers all across the world are provided messages of hope and faith that are heard, but never practiced. Now more than ever before, we are encountering a community of faith that desires for God to protect them from the insects of this life, but will not do what is necessary to make sure that the fruit they bear can withstand their attacks beyond Sunday morning.

Although many hate to admit it, a large majority of religious television and church conferences today are unfortunately specializing in providing the Body of Christ with PESTICIDES; whatever it takes to keep believers happy and hopeful, without responsibility.

But when it comes to those who truly desire to mature and produce the kind of fruit that will last, fruit that as this passage in Galatians points out, no law can stand up against, the checkout line is very short.

Family, living a life that is pleasing to God is not easy.
I apologize on behalf of every leader who told you that it was.

Today, I challenge you to check out what kind of fruit your life is bearing.
Be mindful of what kind of fruit growth regulators you are listening to.

Life by GPS

Milan Ford


About a year ago, my wife and I decided to purchase a GPS (global positioning system) device for our new m-i-n-i-v-a-n. Sorry for the long pause there. It's just that as a 33-year old urbanite, it's still rather hard for me to believe I actually own a mini-van. Very humbling to say the least.

I was pretty excited about finally owning our own GPS; we had been talking about doing a few road trips with the kids for some time now, and the whole MapQuest thing wasn't getting a bit old.

I mean who in the world still finds enjoyment reading and carrying around a folder full of printed directions everywhere they go?

(there's a message hidden in that statement, but i'll have to tackle that some other day)

We decided to try it out the other day while coming back from church one day. The following are just a few life lessons we both learned along the way. All courtesy of GPS.

1. When turning on the device, a screen immediately popped up and told us that the driver of the vehicle should NEVER try entering any new coordinates into the device while driving.

I assume driving and trying to control the device at the same time is FAR TOO DANGEROUS.

2. When entering in a specific destination, the device gave us the option on whether or not we wanted to travel by AVOIDING any highways, intersections, or U-Turns.

3. We decided to enter the address of a restaurant we had been to several times before. To our surprise, the device took us a totally different route. A SCENIC ROUTE.

But one that was much faster.

4. While traveling, we just couldn't believe this device (controlled by a satellite 12,000 thousands miles in the air), could possibly know MORE THAN US about a community we have lived in for years.

We decided to test it out and turn the opposite way it had told us. Immediately after we turned, the device began RECALCULATING an alternative route that would take us to the destination we entered.

5. Once we arrived, we pulled aside to enter in a new destination, when suddenly, the device shouted out, "LOST SIGNAL." We discovered that our GPS will lose its signal whenever it has not been PROPERLY CHARGED. Considering we took it right out the box, we had to return home on our own.

Once we arrived back home, we realized something. Our GPS and The Holy Spirit have a lot in common. The lessons we learned unveiled the very way God desires to direct our lives every day.

The Holy Spirit is an incredible guide. One that is ready and willing to show us the path we are to follow in order to reach every predetermined destination God has established for us.

In fact, the only difference we discovered between our GPS and The Holy Spirit (besides the obvious difference in manufacturing companies), is that we decided to call our GPS...Anne.

The device talked to us so much along the way...we figured we might as well give it a name!

Related articles by Zemanta

• New GPS platform aims to save batteries (news.cnet.com)
• SAKAI's Intelligent Compaction System Proving Success (prweb.com)
• Where to Get Decent Car Global Positioning System Reviews (raunchyjohnson.com)